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Alex Pereira is the undisputed king of the UFC gentle heavyweight division, however that doesn’t imply that he’s not with out challengers.
A type of challengers is Artem Vakhitov, who has by no means even stepped foot in a UFC cage.
Who’s Artem Vakhitov? Nicely, we’re glad you requested.
Vakhitov is a 33-year-old Russian kickboxer and the final man to beat Pereira in kickboxing. The 2 fought at Glory 78 in September of 2021, with Vakhtiov strolling away with a majority resolution. It was a rematch of a struggle between the 2 simply eight months prior, when Pereira claimed a cut up resolution win.
However now Vakhitov says he’s able to step into the octagon, and he desires Pereira’s title.
“MMA was all the time attention-grabbing for me anyway, however clearly I’m very motivated by the prospect of getting that trilogy match with Pereira,” Vakhitov informed MMA Combating. “He’s a celebrity now and I’m blissful for him, however once I hear folks saying he’s the perfect striker on this planet … properly, I feel it’s time for MMA followers to find out about me and my workforce, put it that approach.”
Artem Vakhitov Needs UFC Battle Towards Alex Pereira
Vakhitov is 2-1 in his MMA profession, however his lone loss got here by way of TKO after he dislocated his elbow in his first struggle. He gained every of his final two fights by way of first-round TKO.
Vakhitov says he is aware of the recipe to beating Pereira.
“His largest weak point is that he’s all assault, he has no protection,” Vakhitov mentioned. “Due to his lack of protection, he’s open to taking numerous punches to the pinnacle if he’s going through a talented striker. You noticed that in his second struggle with Adesanya. He acquired caught as a result of he leaves numerous openings for individuals who know what they’re doing.
“These different guys haven’t carried out properly towards Alex as a result of their hanging isn’t at a excessive sufficient degree. They aren’t assured towards him they usually assume he’s unbeatable, so of their coronary heart they’re already defeated earlier than the struggle begins. However I’ve overwhelmed him earlier than in pure hanging competitors, and I’m positive I’ll do it once more if we are able to get our trilogy match within the UFC.”
Alex Pereira towards an equally harmful striker? Signal us up.
